As an exclusive stand builder for event organizers, alter expo uses more or less the same materials and tools as other stand builders. But there is one large difference. ‘We start from a completely different mindset’, says manager Luc De Witte. ‘We also believe that real-life fairs and events will continue to stand firm in the digital era. That’s why we want to create and support Event Academy.’

alter expo thinks less from the perspective of having an exclusive stand, as it prefers to look at the larger context: the fair where the stand has to be created and blended in.

‘Our concern is to build and contribute to the success of fair and event organizers, more so than translating an individual brand communication into a particular fair stand of an individual exhibitor. We increasingly notice that fairs are seen as an overall concept or that conceptual events or projects need to be launched and fitted into a fair. We want to be more than just a supplier of materials and stands; alter expo wants to be a partner to the fair or event organizer and help them strife for innovation.’

alter expo is convinced that the medium of real-life fairs and events will continue to stand firm in an increasingly digital era. ‘At least when it is successful at transforming itself significantly. Fairs will have to become more than open markets of products and services, as this is something that can be organized even more efficiently online. The medium will have to find a new balance between supply, relevant content and client experience. Moreover, it needs to embrace new technologies and digitization as welcoming developments. Event Academy is a wonderful initiative that is closely intertwined with that vision. In any case, we don’t claim to have all the answers and we strife to return fairs and events their x-factor, the success that they deserve to have. The answer can never come from one party, one perspective only, but it needs to be found in co-creation. By actively participating in Event Academy we try to position ourselves as a potential partner in search for definite answers to new needs. It’s not our ambition to develop new technologies. Instead, alter expo wants to build physical meeting places that co-exist within the environment of new generations and it wants to integrate different technologies in doing so. Such meeting places will also have to be affordable. Our expertise lies in transforming the wild ideas of event organizers and conceptual thinkers into a financially and logistically viable lay-out.

At the same time, Event Academy is a chance for us to keep ourselves informed of new developments and to exchange ideas as potential fair building partners of the future.’